Saturday, February 11, 2006

What does it mean to encourage yourself in the Lord? This was spoken of concerning Paul, when he faced struggles and imprisonments on the mission field. I find myself meditating on this phrase thinking that this is something I need to figure out. There are times when I am very discouraged. I just want to give up, call it quits, go back to the States, to the familiar, to hot showers. The Lord brought that phrase "encourage yourself in the Lord" to mind, and I feel I need to find out what this means.

Thankfully I am blessed with family and friends here who also encourage, lift up and bless me and challenge me to press on. There are times when God seeks you to find encouragement from just Him, when He is all you got, and all you need. While I certainly do not claim to fully understand what this means, I feel that I am on the road to a definition, and to a deeper understanding of how Christ strengthens His children. So that when I am discouraged (and I know that discouragement will come), I can press on through the challenges and rise above them, and also be a source of encouragement for others who may be discouraged as well.

So what does it mean to encourage yourself in the Lord, and how is it done? Prayerfully I will find the answer.

1 comment:

Hey Dave. Very interesting and heart felt post. I'm sorry I'm a bit late in commenting to encourage you. I too have been in a similar situation with God recently. God's peace and the trust I have gained in God are worth every bit of struggle. Although the struggle is NOT any fun. To me, I have learned to seek him no matter how I feel and to *praise* Him, no matter how I feel. I hope and pray that God meets you in those times.